Episode 13 Antiques Road Trip

The nation's favourite antiques experts, £200 each and one big challenge!

Cos I'm here to declare war.

Why?

Who can make the most money buying and selling antiques as they scour the UK?

There's nothing in here.

The aim is to trade up and hope each antique turns a profit...

Disappointing.

But it's not as easy as you might think and things don't always go to plan.

Push!

So, will they race off with a huge profit or come to a grinding halt?

I'm terribly nervous now, James.

This is the Antiques Road Trip!

We've been on the road with antiques guru James Braxton

who's been pitting his wits against young whippersnapper auctioneer Jonathan Pratt.

And it's been a far-from-close competition.

Devilish James has stormed ahead, leaving poor Jonathan floundering.

Disaster strikes!

So while Pratt fell flat,

old Brackers made loads of smackers, which means he did jolly well.

-That's not to say he's a bit conceited, though.

-I'm not smiling!

From his original £200, James now has an impressive...

Great hat!

But Jonathan is only scraping through to the final leg

with less than half of James's budget, a pretty pitiful...

Bad luck!

It's been a tough week for Jonathan, but his spirits are still high.

And that could be because James is letting him drive his pride and joy,

the 1952 MG, to their first shopping location.

This trip sees the boys travelling all the way from Altrincham, Greater Manchester,

to sunny Cornwall.

Today we kick off the fifth leg in Crewkerne,

then head to the final auction showdown in Lostwithiel.

The earliest record of Crewkerne in Somerset was in the will of Alfred the Great back in 899.

And during the 18th and 19th centuries, the main industry was cloth-making,

including crafting sails for the Royal Navy.

Noah's Antiques is packed to the gunnels with goodies,

but will anything entice James?

What a day out there!

Morning.

-Hello. James.

-Michael.

-Michael. Good to meet you, Michael.

Morning. Now, what Michael doesn't realise is that James has a whopping £320.94 to spend,

so he can really afford to splash out on some expensive top-quality lots.

I might have a quick look through your bargain area, Michael.

Uh-oh! Bargain area! James is acting like a rag-and-bone man again,

not someone whose pocket is bulging with cash!

There were things for more rarefied dining, really.

This is a rather unusual one, but it's sort of entree-dish shaped,

elongated octagonal, it's got sort of fruiting vines all the way around it...

But they're fun, you know. You can use them for anything.

These ones are all quite early, Edwardian, turn of the century, that sort of thing.

This one's inscribed, that one's inscribed.

This one's a very nice chamber stick.

So it would have had a cylindrical glass thing to protect it from the wind.

Cylindrical glass thing? Is that a technical term, then, James?

And then we've got the old swing basket, as they're known.

Would have been stamped out on some great machine in Birmingham or Sheffield...

and then...this is probably the youngest of the lot.

This is just a clean bit of plate.

It's quite a big fellow. What are we? It's 10 or 12 inches across.

It's just been stamped out.

So you won't be buying that, then, James?

It's a good little lot, that.

So you will, then? James is planning to buy and then sell this bundle as a job lot,

which auction houses often do with cheaper items.

There's no price on this as a group, but that's not stopping our man from chancing his arm.

Let's see if I can make you a, you know, tempting offer.

A tenner?

-Er...

-Stop wincing!

-Put your hand out.

-Go on, then.

-Thank you.

Gosh! James's strategy seem to be spending as little as he can,

so how about the man who has no choice? That's Jonathan, by the way.

He's arrived at his first shop, Crewkerne Antiques.

-Morning.

-Good morning.

-Nice to come inside in the dry.

-Not the best of days, is it?

-No.

You've got some great things. There's a lot of things I can't afford already,

-but you've got some good quality things here.

-A good mix.

-Do you have any sort of house-clearance type areas, a bit junkier?

-Not really.

My budget has been depleting of late, so I'm looking for something...

-The ultimate bargain?

-Yes!

Well, you're not going to find the ultimate bargain if you hang around talking to Eddie!

Reasonably well painted, actually.

And it's going to be off the South Coast.

Dated 1911.

Again, this chap's not in superb condition, but that one's better, by a chap called Flowers.

Flowers? Mmm... Not quite Turner, then!

I do like those though, actually, I do like those.

Royal coat of arms.

Quite like that.

Yes, nice piece of needlework there, but will it sell well at auction?

It all depends on whether Jonathan can do a good deal. Now...

-Do you mind if I ask you a few things about these?

-Yeah, go on.

-That's the first thing that struck me.

-That is fabulous.

Nice 19th-century needlework, Royal coat of arms...

-Would you accept for that...

-KNOCKING

-..£60?

-Probably not.

-Probably not?

-I've got in mind about 80, I'll be honest. I think it's worth that.

-I think it's a nice thing.

-I'll put that down on the iffy list, OK?

Flowers. OK, slightly faded paper, bit of foxing, but nice subject.

He's not an Academy hand, but it's still quite competently painted.

-£60 for them?

-I could probably do that for those.

-You could do that?

-That would be OK.

-And this music stand. It's not in the greatest of order...

-It's a little tired.

It's a little tired. It's only pine.

A little tired? Jonathan does seem to like buying bashed and broken items.

-30?

-Yeah, that's fine. I can do that on that one.

-OK.

-But of all the things I want most is this one here.

-Cos that's the best one.

Yeah, that's the one I like the most, this one being...

-I think that's quite a charming thing.

-£60 for that one, providing you buy that one for 30.

£80 the two?

-A little tear? Yeah, OK.

-OK.

-All right.

-Oh, my word! There we go.

Hang on, Jonathan! What about sailing pictures?

Oh, gosh!

I know I've already said a price for them...

Er...

but I can't afford that, now, can I?

Would you

take...

..would you take £40 a pair?

I'd like to help you out, but no.

£50?

Yeah, OK. If I can take all your money, I will.

You've almost done that, Eddie.

And just as Jonathan is paying up, he's spotted yet another picture.

I really quite like this, only because it's... Funnily enough, it's St Paul's.

The paper's nice and white and actually what's drawn me to it

is this little image here which is a little vignette, presumably of the artist...

-DOOR CLOSES

-James is just arriving.

Limited edition print, and it's quite a charming subject, a nice painting.

-You're only asking £15 for it.

-Today's special price!

-Today's special price!

-Is it cheeky for me to make an offer?

-Yeah.

-It is, is it?

-£12.

-Yeah, go on.

-Hey, you're in a good mood.

Nothing wrong with being a bit cheeky in my book!

James has arrived, so Jonathan needs to shove off.

-Hi, James. How are you doing?

-Hello, Jonathan. Very well.

-How are you doing?

-Very well, thank you.

-You're looking chipper.

-You're smiling. Nice to see a man smiling.

-Yeah.

-There's plenty here, James.

-Is there? Looks plenty. Fabulous, isn't it?

-A good hunting ground. I think you'll have fun.

-Good, good, good.

You cleared all the broken stuff out now?

No, nothing that's broken, James. You'll see!

Not going to tell him about the bashed-up music stand, then, Jonathan?

-Looks very good. I'm going to get exploring.

-And there's upstairs as well, James.

-Thank you.

-Any basements?

-No, I'm afraid not.

-No? No basement, no?

-No.

-OK.

Aha! So just to recap in case you missed it...

Jonathan started the day way down behind James.

His solution on his first day in his first shop was to buy four items and spend nearly all his money.

Rather him than me.

As Jonathan heads off with just £13.36 left in his pocket, James is keen to get spending,

as he still has over £300,

and he's giving the place a good once-over, hoping to hunt out a hidden gem.

See, that's got big ears, hasn't it, that brass fellow.

Nay I have a look at old Big Ears?

-Look at that, big-eared fellow!

-It's clean too.

Clean! Somebody's put some work into it, haven't they?

Lovely sort of wing-nut ears to it, isn't it?

-Kind of royal.

-It is royal! A study of the...

Might be tempting, mightn't it?

Moving upstairs, will anything else catch James's roving eye?

Traditionally, Braxton always buys one of these, every time!

It's probably Syrian.

They're a generic sort of Middle Eastern coffee table.

So all those sort of cafes and things like that would have these outside.

And you would take your mint tea or your dark Turkish coffee out of them.

Hang on, James! Didn't you have a disaster with ethnic goods this week?

-I can see how it would really work in the contemporary home, this.

-Yeah.

-150? For the two?

Thank you very much indeed.

All done at £24.

Across the room at £50.

-Oh, dear, oh, dear.

-Never mind.

-Never mind.

Lesson learnt?

No.

I'm a North African at heart, I think.

Oh! It's sort of Damascus like.

Brass tray and stand. My offer for that is £20.

He's asking 48.

-Or 25 for Big Ears!

-I couldn't do that one.

-Couldn't do that one.

-This I could.

-You could? £20.

Thanks a lot. I can't resist. I can't resist these.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you very much.

-It's very kind of you. Thanks a lot.

Time to get back on the road.

James and Jonathan are crossing counties and driving 34 miles west to Honiton,

a town which used to have a ceremony called hot pennies,

where local gentry would throw hot pennies from windows to local peasants,

which resulted in burnt hands. Nice!

Perhaps James will spend a penny or two in the Grove Antiques Centre. Stand by!

-Hello. James.

-Lesley.

-Hello. Nice to meet you.

Now, this is... Surrounded by lots of lovelies here.

-Where should the astute buyer be looking for that elusive bargain?

-You naughty thing.

Well, would it be a good idea if you had a look around? Or do I take you around?

What an excellent idea, Lesley!

Go on, James, don't be lazy. Get looking. Get working.

Exactly, James! You've still got nearly £300 burning a hole your pocket.

Time to buy!

I must admit, I don't think I've seen the like.

James has spotted a French scent bottle, costing £75.

It's got a little pillbox in the top there. You take that off...

and you've got a little stopper there. Very pretty, isn't it?

I think it's a lovely novelty item. I like the fact that it has a pillbox.

My only problem is... is the donks in it. 25?

-30 and it's yours.

-30, and I want to buy something. Well done.

Thank you, Lesley. You're a very kind lady.

James did quite well there and still has time to explore the rest of the antiques centre.

And what should he find, but something which isn't even for sale?

Typical!

Just been chatting to Lee here

and looking at all these fabulous clocks, and I just noticed this rather nice Chinese stand.

This red marble. We used to call these blackwood

and now we use the name wang wally, a very nice tropical hardwood.

It's not Lee's, it's his mother's, and he's used it as a shop fitting for seven years,

and he'll find out whether she wants to sell it or not.

-No.

-No?

Phew!

Unless you pay 225.

-225?

-Yeah.

-She said?

-Yeah.

-Would she settle at 200?

You're a gambling man.

What I wouldn't gamble on is how she reacts if I were to tell her...

But we know, mothers and sons... it's...it's...unconditional love.

-When it comes to money with my mother...

-Oh, right, is it?

I'll tell you what...

-200.

-OK. Well done. That's great. Good. Thanks a lot.

I better go and let her know. Where am I going to put my £20,000 clock?

Jonathan's nearly all spent up,

so it's time to play instead.

He's travelling 50 miles to Bovey Tracey to discover the history

of one of our most treasured childhood games, marbles.

Has he lost his? No, but he's found the House of Marbles,

a museum situated on the site of the old Bovey Pottery.

No-one is quite sure where the game of marbles first began,

but archaeologists have found games, boards and clay playing pieces in the tombs of Ancient Egypt.

China and ceramic marbles were introduced around 1800,

but it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that German glassblowers invented

the tools to enable the marbles that we all know and love to be made out of glass.

And lucky old Jonathan is going to find out how it's done,

as there's a glassmaking factory onsite.

Jonathan's going to be shown the ropes by seasoned glassblower Paul.

-We're going to gather some glass out the furnace and make the inside coloured part of the marble.

-OK.

-OK?

-Go on, then.

All of these marbles are handcrafted.

-So there's like a pool of glass down there?

-That's right.

-Oh, my word!

Glass is melted in a sweltering 900 degrees centigrade, then shaped and moulded.

There we go. Look at that.

Dye is added to create the colours inside the marble, the glass is twisted and shaped...

Give it a squeeze. At the same time...a twist.

Then a clear glass bulb is melted around it.

It takes a special pair of pincers to get that perfect marbley shape.

Finally, it's snipped off and, hey, presto, the perfect marble.

Simple! Well, sort of.

Amazing.

# Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! #

Our boys are journeying south

to the popular tourist destination of Dartmouth.

Set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart,

the port was used as the sailing point for the crusades of the 12th century,

and James and Jonathan are on a crusade of their own today

as they don't have much time or money left to spend.

James heads straight off to Penny Farthing Antiques to see what treasures he can uncover.

-Hello.

-Hello there.

-I'm James. How do you do?

-Hi. Keith Williams.

-Good to meet you.

-Well, I'll just have a look round.

-Do.

-Thank you.

Thank you. With just £60 left in his pocket, James needs to be clever with his cash.

-Can I look at your Tudoric jug?

-Of course, yeah.

-Thanks.

Liberty's, circa 1910.

-It's lovely, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-I imagine it's part of a set, isn't it?

-Yeah, we think that's hot water.

-Yeah.

-But it's the right style, it's a good look.

-It is, isn't it? It's very simple.

This type of jug was often used to carry and keep water hot until required to refresh the teapot.

The cane-covered handle protected the user from the heat of the metal.

The founder of Liberty & Co, Arthur Lasenby Liberty,

began to import modern pewter from Germany in 1899,

and the success of this venture encouraged him to commission the Tudoric British-made range.

-May I look at your chamber stick?

-Certainly.

They've got "made in England" at the bottom... Oh, Torquay down there.

Yeah, I think it's early sort of Torquay ware.

-That's rather nice, that.

-Again, good style, isn't it?

-Great style.

Majolica glaze.

With only £60 left, James will have to do some hard bargaining to bag both items, I can tell you!

-£60 for the two.

-I was thinking more sort of 85 for the pair.

-I've only got 60.

-I reckon you should go for this one. Don't miss that, cos that was privately sourced.

The trade hasn't seen that.

OK? So that's going to be good for the saleroom.

The only problem is that handle, isn't it? But, you know, these things can be repaired.

-Yeah, it's a proper name, isn't it?

-Yeah, a proper name.

-Yeah.

-Nice fellow. Good design.

-Could you do 35 on that, Nick?

-I could do 40.

-40?

-Yeah.

We'll have a deal. There's got to be a profit in that at 40, hasn't there?

I think there is. Nick, I'll do it.

-That's very kind. You've probably saved me a lot of agony.

-OK.

It might seem like a good buy now, but will it sell well at the auction?

Further down the road, Jonathan is popping into Commerce,

hoping to blow his final £13.36 on a star buy. Good luck with that.

-Good afternoon.

-Good afternoon. How are you? All right?

-Very good, very good.

-What a charming shop you've got here.

-Thank you.

I'm going to have to be honest. I have £13.36.

So it doesn't really leave me very much, I think.

Well, hopefully, this could be an interesting turning point, for your, you know...

So I'm looking at basically anything you think that you could have, that you may offer me

for less than £13.36.

With such a small amount of cash left,

I fear Jonathan is going to be hard pushed to find a profit-making purchase at all!

I've already bought a pair of maritime watercolours, which I think are quite good, quite nice.

And I quite like the idea of trying to find something in the same vein,

almost like, you know, you've got like a lifebelt up there and little things like that.

A lifebelt? Surely not? I feel a metaphor coming on.

-I'd let that go for a fiver.

-Would you?

-And you'd be in pocket!

How much are your paddles? Would you do a couple of paddles for £13.35, and I'd keep a penny back.

Oh, dear!

-Yes.

-You would?

-Yes. I'll do obviously that which we discussed and the pair of paddles...

Not with it. I wasn't suggesting with the ring. Unless you want to throw the ring in as well!

-It might be my lifesaver!

-DRUM ROLL

-Oh, no, I knew it was coming!

Pair of paddles and that, I'll take all your money.

Keep your penny.

-There we go.

-Brilliant. Thank you, sir.

-Thank you very much.

-You're welcome. It was a pleasure.

JAMES SIGHS

-Right, then, is this going to be my lifesaver? I jolly well hope so.

-DRUM ROLL

That's number 2!

Shopping over, let's recap on what the boys have bought.

Well, James started this leg with an impressive £320.94

and has gone on to spend exactly £300 on five auction lots.

A silver-plated job lot of French scent bottle with pill box,

a pewter jug, a North African coffee table

and a Chinese rosewood stand.

Jonathan, meanwhile, began with a rather measly £155.36

but he managed to spend every penny except one - ha -

on five auction lots.

A music stand, an engraving of the Sacre Coeur,

a pair of maritime watercolours, the royal coat of arms needlework

and the lifesaver and paddles. Oh, Jonathan!

I don't think I can bear to hear what James thinks of your haul.

Oh, go on, then!

Jonathan has bought items according to his budget.

I think he's put a lot of thought into where we're going,

so there's a lot of marine interest and that might serve him very well.

I'm relieved that James has been bold and has spent a lot of money.

£200 on that table was...

It is a gamble. It may do it. But I'm pleased, it's a real battle now,

because there's... we've got a lot between us.

You certainly have!

It's been a highly competitive fifth leg of this road trip

from Crewkerne to Honiton and on to Dartmouth.

The destination for the final auction showdown is Lostwithiel

in Cornwall.

Situated on the wooded banks of the Fowey River,

Lostwithiel boomed 800 years ago, exporting tin,

becoming the second busiest port on the South Coast of England. Wow!

Our final auction of the week is at Jefferys Auctions.

Time to find out who's able to flex the most financial muscle.

First up, Jonathan's rather bashed music stand.

Part 19th century, on bobbin-turned support there.

£20? £10 to start me off.

10 bid. I'll take 12 now. At £10. 12?

14. 16. At £16. 18. At £18. 20. At £20 bid.

-Keep going, keep going, keep going!

-We all done?

-No, no, no!

£20 to 547.

-£20.

-It's like Groundhog Day. This is what happened to me last time.

Bought for 20, sold for 20.

It certainly didn't sing to the buyers!

Next up, James's silver-plated job lot.

Some items of silver plate

including a Mappin & Webb pierced bordered chamber stick

and Bevan & Webb pint tankard. Lot 115. £20 to buy very quickly?

Tenner bid. At 10. I'll take 12. 12. 14.

16. 18. 20? At £18. 20 no? At £18. 20 no. We're done.

At £18. £18.

-Steady James.

-Steady profit there.

A small profit for James, but a profit nevertheless.

Jonathan's engraving of the Sacre Coeur is up next.

Let's hope a little French charm goes a long way in Cornwall.

French school, early 20th century, signed limited edition etching,

Parisian street scene. That one there, very quickly. Can I say £20?

£10? Tenner bid.

At 10. At 12. At 15. At £15, the bid's with me.

Come on!

At £18, the bid's at the back. At £18. 20 no. We all done? At £18.

-Well done. Back in the game!

-Result!

Back in the game! Back in the game!

Un petit profit for Jonathan! Ooh la la!

Continuing the French theme...

Novelty French white-metal topped bottle with integral pillbox,

complete with stopper. Pretty little thing. £50 to buy? £30 to buy?

£20 I'm bid. At £20. 25. 30. 35.

£40. 45? At 45 I'm bid. At £40 I'm bid.

We're done at £40.

Tenner.

Disappointing as per normal.

The good folk of Cornwall

certainly seem to like items from across the Channel.

So will they be drawn to Jonathan's marine theme?

A pair of signed watercolours there.

-Dated 1911.

-Here we are. Good luck. Good luck, lovely lot.

-£50?

£30? £20 I have.

At £20. 25. £30. 35.

£40? At £35.

-At £35. 40?

-Come on!

At 38. 40 now. At 38 I'm bid. At 38, 40 no, I'm done.

At 38. 825.

Oh, Jonathan!

Don't worry.

By the look of it, we might sell the table for about £30.

Don't give up, James! The auctioneer liked your table.

But first the pewter jug, remember?

The one the trade hasn't seen and which is sure to make a profit.

Liberty Tudoric pewter hot water jug. Pattern number 0213.

£20 away? £10 away?

Tenner bid. At 10. At £10. I'll take 12. At £10 I'm bid. 12.

14. 16. 18. 20.

£20, the bid's right at the back.

22. 25? 25. 28? 28. £30? £30.

32? £30 still at the back. 32? At £30, then, going at the back.

At £30. 228.

-Up and down, James.

-Up and down, up and down.

Oh, dearie me! Moving on...

Jonathan's got a right royal hope with his embroidery.

19th-century framed needlework panel,

depicting the Royal coat of arms in a nice rosewood frame there.

Start there very quickly. Can I say £50 away? £30 away.

£30 I'm bid.

-He's got someone.

-One or two in the book. Keep going.

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.

At £45? Are we all done? At £45.

He gives with one hand and he takes with the other, doesn't he?

That's life!

How coy!

We may be in the Duchy of Cornwall but no-one's feeling very patriotic!

It's James's North African coffee table.

Are the good people of Lostwithiel up for a little ethnic charm?

Brass circular coffee tray...

-Lovely tray! What a lovely tray!

-£20 away?

-Feel the weight, sir!

-Shh!

At £10 I'm bid. I'll take 12.

At £10 I'm bid. 12?

Are we all done at £10? Going at £10.

-This isn't the 1970s!

-What a crime!

£10!

Oops! I could have told you, James!

Now, could Jonathan's life be saved in more ways than one?

Red-and-white lifesaving ring and pair of military painted paddles.

Somebody might need lifesaving. DRUM ROLL

-Oh, even the auctioneer's at it!

-£10 away?

At 5. £5 I'm bid. I'll take 6. At 5. 6. 7.

-8. 10. At £10 I'm bid.

-Keep going.

-12 now?

Up the river without a paddle!

At £10 I'm bid. 12 no. Going at £10.

-Steady work.

-Steady work, yeah.

-Steady work.

-Yeah, sorry, kids.

Yeah, lovely.

Well, there'll be no bird on the table this Sunday!

The bidders are just not in today.

The final lot of the day is James's big punt,

his pricey Chinese rosewood stand, bought for £200.

Lot 104 there is a late 19th-century Chinese carved rosewood stand.

There it is, it's in a prime place.

One, two, three, four bids on this one. I'm going to start at £210.

-Oh, no!

-At 210. At 210.

AUCTIONEER LAUGHS

Far too much! Shall I go down to £50?

At 210, all the bids with me.

210. 220 no? We all done at 210? Well, the bid's with me at £210.

Really? 210?

Oh...!

-That's very good, James.

-The top bid was probably 500!

His dreams dashed.

This has not been the final hurrah James was hoping for.

Nervous Jonathan started this leg with...

..and, unfortunately, made a loss of £47.93,

so he ends up with...

In fact, that's nearly half what he started with.

Not great!

Devilish James, however, kicked off today with...

He also made a loss, of £47.44,

but he ends with a grand total of...

..making him this week's clear winner. Well done, old fruit!

But what a fun road trip it's been.

And at least Jonathan's had a jolly good jaunt down the country

in James' trusty 1952 MG.

Safe driving, boys.

It's time for us to join a new adventure. On a journey

that promises slightly dubious weather, but wonderful scenery

and fabulous people, the Antiques Road Trip now heads to Northern Ireland.

Our antique ambassadors, David Barby and David Harper,

are about to charm a nation and hopefully make a profit.

Look at this. It's one of the most romantic places in the British Isles

and here am I with David Barby.

I mean, my life doesn't really get any better, does it?

-I hope your inclinations are honourable.

-Not at all.

Freelance auctioneer and valuer David Barby is affectionately known as Dolly,

not out of any resemblance, though, to the toy.

What are they for? I don't know.

He has a passion for antiques that began at the tender age of 12.

I've just asked what the bottom price is.

Not to be outdone, David Harper started collecting when he was just five years old,

or so he says.

I am a treasure hunter.

Today, he's living the dream as an antiques dealer, writer

and thoroughly good egg.

She's gorgeous and I wouldn't mind taking her home.

The two Davids are starting this contest with £200 each

and naturally, they're both hoping to have the luck of the Irish.

On this trip, week we're travelling from Northern Ireland,

heading south towards the county of Meath,

then across to the north coast of Wales

and once again heading south,

ending our trip in Llanelli.

Today, we're en route to the village of Moy

and our journey concludes with auction number one in Omagh.

As for our experts' mode of transport,

what could be more glamorous than a Triumph TR3?

If I was to close my eyes a little bit,

I'd think I was with some beautiful blonde.

-Indeed?

-Not for long but...

Known to the locals as The Moy,

back in the 1700s, this village was just a handful of cottages and a pub,

most of which are still standing

and have been transformed into an antiques business

that's been in the same family for three generations.

What's more, it has room after room of gorgeous collectables,

so what better place for our boys to make a start?

-David...

-Come on!

-David, best of luck.

Oh, sorry. Sorry. Best of luck. Of course.

Of course I mean that. BARBY GRUNTS

-Do you want me to help you out?

-Yes, thank you.

Anything to delay you.

Now, while David Harper gets Dermot to give him the grand tour

of what used to be the entire village of Moy...

Look at this. This is my idea of heaven.

..Lawrence, his father, is looking after our Mr Barby in the main shop.

Can you tell me the price of the Crown Devon?

-£220.

-Oh! Goodness me.

-For the two.

That takes up almost all my money.

In other words, time for a much cheaper plan B -

this Georgian window panel.

This is the one here.

It's an individual over-door, yes. That's a genuine Georgian one, yes.

So this would have been... Oops.

-That would have been across the top.

-Of course, yeah, yeah.

-Yes.

-So we've got quite a lot of damage here.

Yes, it needs some of the wood replaced, yeah.

You've got layers of paint, there.

So this is probably what? Regency, George IV?

Yeah, around George IV, yeah.

-So what's your price on it?

-£35.

-£35. Is that your very, very best?

-That's it, finito, on that one.

Is it? I rather like that.

For now, it's a strong maybe

because today, David Barby is a man with a game plan.

I'm looking for something that is unique,

unusual, quirky.

There's some decent stuff here. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

I'm happy if I just sort of play the middle ground.

I don't really mean that.

I'd love to win but it depends how the day goes by.

As for David H, his tactic is to spend lots.

-So this is an oil burner?

-An oil burner, yeah.

-Oil burner.

A good thing, in copper, bit of brass.

-Nicely patinated.

-That's right.

-Good thick glass.

-Imagine that illuminated. That, in a garden, would look the business.

-Yeah.

-Early 20th century.

-1910, something like that.

-It would be.

It has to be, yeah.

-What sort of money...?

-The trade price on that is 35 quid.

Can it be 30 quid?

-30 quid. Go on. Good luck with it.

-Good man. Nice to do a deal quickly.

Man after my own heart. Fantastic.

I love doing deals, Dermot. Show me some more. Let's continue.

Well, the boys are going great guns today

and across the courtyard, David B has already found something else,

though he has just one question.

-What are they?

-They're Scottish but I'm not sure what they were used for.

-They're both the same?

-Mm-hm.

-Yeah, two pieces.

-How much are they?

We'd do the two of them for £60.

-They're quite unusual.

-They are but I don't know what they're for.

And even more surprising, nor do I.

It's a chance that somebody will know at the auction

-but I think they're Churchill.

-Rubbish.

Probably dating from the early part of the 20th century,

so I think they're interesting enough.

-What's the best you can do on these, Lawrence?

-On these, it's £60.

-Oh, come on.

-For the two of them.

-This one's got damage.

-For the two, £50.

-I think you can afford to knock some more off

-because you don't know what they are.

-That's where the hidden value is.

Maybe these will make a lot more money.

-Would you do 40 for the two, please?

-OK, 40 for the two. OK.

-OK.

Can I pay for those later?

There might be something else here. I'm getting excited.

Someone else who's excited is David Harper,

who might just have found his next purchase.

So we have here a set of six, certainly 19th century, prints

but mounted in a really unusual way.

I love the shape of them and they could work -

you've got to use your imagination - in a modern room

with a little bit of regilding on the frame,

that would look really jazzy.

But proper things. 19th century. Probably 1860, 1880.

There's potential but they've got to be cheap.

Bear in mind there's six of them.

Oh, no, this is a very bad start to this conversation, Dermot.

The best I'll do for you is 50 quid.

50 quid.

Dermot, give us them for 40.

-45.

-Good man. Fantastic.

I love doing business with you. I love it.

Right, OK, another one in the bag. Show me some more.

My goodness, at this rate, the boys will be done in time for elevenses.

Actually, I could murder a biccy.

I've just spotted this, which I think is an interesting composition.

It's 19th century.

What I like about it is the feature of the woman

and then this figure going at an angle across, which is unusual,

as though somebody else is straining to look out from behind the curtain.

I rather like that. Oh, and of course, she has a naked breast,

so it may well have been put in an attic

rather than upset anybody's sensitive nerves,

because it has got an exposed breast.

Cleaned up, I think that would be quite good

but there's damage across here.

I would hope it would be round about £50.

Lawrence, I just spotted this as I came through the door.

I know it's got damage on it.

-What's the best price you can do?

-£40.

-£40.

-Mm.

-That's allowing for its condition and whatever restoration has to be done to it.

-OK.

-Lawrence.

-David.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-OK.

Right. Oh, I'm quite pleased.

Perhaps there's something in the air.

# I've heard people say... #

Because at this very second, David H...

# Too much of anything is not good for you, baby... #

..is also now thinking...

She's a bit of all right, isn't she?

..about naked women.

She's gorgeous. Not only is she lovely to look at because she's a lovely shape

-but she's very contemporary and you could put her...

-That's right.

-..in a traditional house and jazz it up.

-That's right.

-Couldn't you?

-Or a very modern place.

-Very modern, yeah.

This rather saucy painting, that has David so excited,

is an amateur copy of Daniel O'Neill's work,

an Irish artist now deceased,

though while the original did sell for 50,000 euros,

I think this canvas is worth a bit less.

Erm, what sort of money is she, then? I wouldn't mind taking her home.

-Say something like...

-30 quid? 20 quid?

-50 quid, 50 quid.

-Really?

-45.

-You couldn't put it on my bill at 20 quid?

-Say 30?

-25 quid.

-Let me take her home for 25 quid.

-OK.

-Good man, good man.

Looks like Mr Barby is happy with his buys too,

so that's one Georgian overlight, a pair of pottery figures,

possibly Churchill, possibly not, and one very tasteful nude.

-So what's the total?

-115.

-I'll give you 110.

-Oh, dear.

-110.

-OK, 110, OK, OK.

-Thank you very much.

Jammy old devil.

-I hope you do well.

-So do I.

So do I. Otherwise I'll be back.

Next stop for David Harper is well and truly off the beaten track,

in a place appropriately called Countryside Antiques.

Well... Oh, I can't believe it.

Full of fantastic stuff.

They're quite interesting, aren't they?

I think they're Irish. I'm not 100% sure.

-Let's see. You could be right. Romany.

-They could be Romany.

If you trace the Romanies back, you actually get to India.

If you keep going east, that's where they started,

so they've always got that Indian sort of influence.

So it could be Romany.

So you carry two of them. What are you going to carry two of them for?

-Beer.

-Beer. One of them each.

-You and I could have a great party.

-It would be.

-Fill them up.

-Fill them up.

-What, I mean... There's a pair of them.

-There's a pair of them.

-What kind of...? What sort of...?

-100.

-100. Take 50 quid and be...

-I can't. I'd be happy to get 60 for them.

I'm getting no money out of them.

-Stanley, I'm going to give you £60.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. They're fantastically whacky. I love them.

Love them. I've almost blown all my money.

The boys' next stop is Armagh,

known to many as the city of saints and scholars.

And that's a story which begins in the mid 400s

when Christianity first spread to Ireland

and St Patrick established his principal church right here,

thus making this the island's ecclesiastical capital,

although it's since been destroyed and rebuilt 17 times.

As for our story,

that begins a few streets away at the Shambles Market,

where David Barby is about to have his world rocked.

Hold on. Now, this is the first time ever

you've stepped onto the holy ground of a car boot. Am I right?

-I've been to one of these country house car boots.

-Yes.

-So I expect this is something similar.

-Very similar.

You might find some Rembrandts

-and some really good early George I oak furniture.

-Just what I want.

OK, good luck to you. You go in that direction and I'll go in that direction.

Whilst David's new to the cut and thrust of the car boot sale,

he's loving it,

approaching every nuance as if he's narrating a nature documentary.

Well, this is the most extraordinary place I've been to.

It's all at a car boot sale. It's amazing what's being sold.

And the people are so interesting as well.

They're all out there to get a bargain.

I hope I can find one.

Even more surprising, this eclectic market place

is also having a strange effect on David Harper.

Five pounds. It should be 25 quid, that. It's madness.

It's so cheap it's probably illegal.

What?! Oh, right. He almost had me, there.

And true to form, he's now going on

to squeeze the pocket money out of an 18-year-old stallholder.

Two cracking bits of Murano.

Now, what would your price, to me, be for these?

-20.

-20 on that and how much for that?

-20.

-20.

So here we are, here's the great example of Murano,

made on the island of Murano just off the coast of Italy.

What about doing a bulk-buy deal here?

-I'll go for 35.

-35?

-35.

25?

Huh! He's shameless.

-I'll go to 32.

-Do 30 and we've done a deal.

-All right.

-Good man, good man.

OK, fantastic.

David Barby, meanwhile, is going down the ceramic route.

After all, this slipper pan is the perfect opportunity

for some lavatorial humour.

This piece here is a Grimwade, a Grimwade piece.

I like Grimwade pottery and I've just asked what the bottom price is.

-CYMBAL CRASHES

-Huh! That's one.

-50p.

-50p?

-Pee being the operative word.

-CYMBAL CRASHES

-That's two.

Hasn't been used for ages.

-CYMBAL CRASHES

-That's three

and that's probably enough.

-For 50 pence. I've got to buy it for 50 pence, haven't I?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

I've bought something! Oh! I've bought something.

-Thank you very much.

-You're very welcome.

-Not at all.

-I'll give you a pound.

-And there's your change.

-Thank you.

-And there's an Irish luck penny.

-An Irish luck penny.

It's traditional when you buy something, you get a bargain,

you get a luck penny back.

What have I done?

With only £10 left in his pocket, David Harper is taking a break

and is headed to the Armagh public library, founded in 1771

by the Archbishop Robinson,

who thought of it as the healing place of the soul

and filled its shelves with his collection of rare 17th and 18th century books.

-Welcome. It's a delight to have you here.

-Thank you.

-I'm David.

-I'm Carol.

-Carol. Thank you very much.

You should feel very much at home here

because Archbishop Richard Robinson, who had this lovely library built,

-was from Yorkshire.

-A fellow Yorkshireman.

-Yes.

A wonderful collector. A wealthy man in his own right.

And he set to and he bought and acquired books, manuscripts,

prints, gems, coins.

-It was a very subtle way of saying, "I have money..."

-Yes!

"..and I want to show you that."

Robinson's ultimate aim was to have a university in Armagh,

so he started by building a library and each of the books he introduced

was stamped with his own personal book plate.

But whilst he died in 1794, his collection continues to grow,

containing everything from theology to literary classics.

This is a first edition of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

It's known as Gulliver's Travels. The title is Travels Into Several Remote Nations Of The World.

-That's the original title?

-That's the original title.

I didn't know that.

And then it's by, you see, this surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver,

-and we shorten it to Gulliver's Travels...

-Of course.

The first edition, 1726,

and this is the actual edition in which Swift chose to make changes

in the margins, ready for a further print run.

-There actually have been...

-This particular one?

-Yes.

That's what's so special for us.

-There are areas here where we can actually show...

-Oh!

..in some cases, a little change, in others, more...

-Does that mention Lilliput, there?

-Yes.

-And he's made a change?

The fact that Lilliput has been underlined is fascinating.

If I may show you another one where he was just putting in...

Binding is what's printed and it should have been bending.

-Ah!

-So he was frustrated to find

that there were several printing errors like that.

Swift was so frustrated, in fact, he even fired the publisher.

Wow. Carol, we're having a real feast here, aren't we?

I'm glad you're saying that. That's great to hear.

We thought you might like to see this as well.

It's a 1614 copy of Sir Walter Raleigh's The History Of The World.

-No!

-Raleigh wrote this while imprisoned in the Tower in London.

He had fallen out of favour with Queen Elizabeth.

She was very angry to learn that he had married one of her ladies in waiting in secret.

-Not the done thing.

-No, indeed.

He was imprisoned for quite a number of years

and it was during that time that he wrote The History Of The World.

Now, whilst David Harper's in no particular rush,

David Barby still has more shopping to do.

His next stop is Cookstown, which was founded around 1620

when ecclesiastical lawyer Dr Alan Cook leased the land

from the then Archbishop of Armagh.

It's also the location of the Saddle Room Antiques

and the man in that snazzy tie is Christopher.

-I'm looking for bargains, so I hope you've got some.

-I hope so!

Well, if anyone can sniff one out, it's Barby.

-An old jelly mould.

-A late Victorian white-glazed jelly mould.

-The ones that are collectable are the salt-glazed ones.

-Yes.

But what I like is this still can be used.

That's £18.

What's the best on that one?

-Eight.

-Can you do it for five?

-OK.

I would like that for £5.

That would go nicely with another ceramic object I've bought.

OK, yes.

Mm. Jelly and nobody's business. What an intriguing combination.

Though he's not done yet.

His next acquisition might just be this stick stand, circa 1900.

On the stick stand, I see you've got £78.

I would do that for 35.

35. Your very best at 35?

Erm...

Could you do it for round about 20?

-OK.

-£20? That man could charm the skin off a snake.

What I like about it is it's still got its original drip tray.

The maker's mark is a callipers at the bottom.

It's an interesting piece of social history.

Because only people of a certain wealth could afford walking canes, umbrellas or parasols.

You'd date this probably round about the beginning of the 20th century.

Which is David's way of saying he'll take it.

For £10, it's very good. Thank you very much.

-What did you say?

-20. It's 20.

-Nice try.

-That's great.

With the shopping done,

it's time to recap on what the two Davids have bought.

Our experts began this journey with £200 each.

David Harper has splashed out

a total of £190 on five auction lots consisting of

the brass tankards, the glass dishes,

an Irish nude canvas, the set of six hunting prints

and the ship's oil burner.

As for David Barby, he's kept a little more in reserve,

spending £135.50 also on five auction lots.

Which are a Georgian overlight,

a pair of pottery figures, a nude painting,

a ceramic a jelly mould and douche pan,

and the 19th century stick stand.

So, what do our experts think of each others' items?

I think the worst object of all was the painting of the female nude

after O'Neill.

I thought it was absolutely dreadful.

Dreadful.

Very surprised, in fact horrified,

that Mr Barby didn't like my painting of a nude lady. I mean, come on!

Who can say, hand on heart, they don't fancy her? She's fantastic!

After starting off in Moy,

David Harper and David Barby end the first leg of their road trip

in county town of Omagh.

One of the oldest towns in Ireland,

Omagh traces its origins back to the year 792,

when all that existed was a single abbey.

Since then, there's been rebellion, war, and, oh, yes, it's also been burned to the ground

in the name of William III.

But will our experts' purchases fire up interest at Viewback Auctions?

First up, it's David Harper's brass tankards,

-finely decorated, with a touch of Gypsy.

-Go on, pump them up.

-At 40. At 40. At £40 at the back.

-Come on.

At 40. At 45 here at the front. At 45.

-50 at the back, then. At 50, at 50, at 50.

-Come on.

At £50. Any advance on 50? And I sell.

Oh, dear. We've stalled already.

-No, no, no, no, no.

-At £50. At £50. At £50.

-£50 and it's once, £50 and it's twice.

-Don't sell them.

-All finished at £50. Mr X.

-Mr X has just nicked them off me.

Needless to say, Mr X has paid a lot less than our Mr Harper

and that's a £10 loss before commission.

-I can't believe it.

-I think he knows what they are.

Next, it's the David Barby ceramic collection.

Not available in shops.

It's still a bizarre combination, if you ask me,

a jelly mould and a douche pan.

Who's going to give me £50 on the slipper pan and jelly mould?

40? 30? 20?

-Start me at 10.

-No, don't.

-Yes.

-Fiver? Fiver bid over here.

-A fiver?

At 10, at 15, 15. 20 down here.

-At 20, at 20.

-Someone's got taste.

-Any advance on 20?

-The lady's bid at 20.

-I can't believe it. Give me that penny.

-At 20 and it's twice.

-One more go.

-All done at £20. Lady's bid at 20.

Well played, Barby, well played.

Maybe there's something to that Irish luck penny after all.

Give me that penny. Let me just hold it for a while.

Actually, David, you may need it.

There's more than a few doubts over your so-called Murano.

We've got a heart-shaped Murano glass dish.

-He's mentioned Murano again. That's strange.

-It is.

-Who'll give me £30?

-Czechoslovakian.

-At 30, at 30, at 30, at 30, at 30.

-At 35.

-Yes.

-At 40. At £40. At £40.

-A bit of profit. Come on.

Give me the penny, give me the penny.

Sir, you realise these may be a little more modern than you think?

-Are you happy enough? At 40.

-That's good, that's good.

-At £40 it is, once.

-Come on.

-At £40 it is, twice.

All finished and done at £40.

Not bad, considering there's no way on earth they were Murano.

-Will you not let me hold the penny on my next...?

-No.

That's right, Barby, you hold onto it.

After all, your George III overlight is next.

This piece of glass is unique to this part of the world.

-That is true, that is true.

-You never mentioned that.

-It's true.

Who'll start me at £100?

-Start me at 50. 40?

-£1.

Ladies and gentlemen, 30. 20? £20 bid.

-At 20, at 20, at 20, at 20. At 30, at 30, at 40.

-Oh!

It's a pity there wasn't a pair.

We'd be flying into £400, £500.

He's very good.

-At £40 once, twice... All finished.

-I'm very disappointed.

-Sold to a gentleman who knows.

-You just can't stop making a profit.

Yes, and that's another £10 in the kitty.

But now, perhaps it's David Harper's turn to feel the lurve.

It's his thoroughly modern amateur copy of an Irish nude.

HE GASPS She's so beautiful.

Yeah, all right, calm down.

At £20. At 20, at 20, at 20, at 20. At 30.

-Yes. Come on.

-At 30, at 40, at 40, at 40, at £40.

-At £40. Any advance on 40?

-Come on.

-At 40, at 40, at £40.

-At £40 it is once, at £40 twice...

-Come on.

-All finished.

-GAVEL BANGS

-Well, she made a bit of profit.

-Yes, indeed

but perhaps the people of Omagh like their nudes a little more subtle.

So let's see if Barby can tempt them with a cheeky flash of breast.

-Start me at £100. £100. Anywhere?

-That is such a bargain.

£50, then, to start the bidding. 60, there, the gentleman.

At 70. At 70 to the lady. At 70, at 70 to the lady who knows.

-Oh, come on.

-At 70, at 70. Will I say 80?

It's that lady's at 90. Are you going to come again, sir?

At 90. It's the lady's bid. At £90 and I sell.

-Oh, Christopher Columbus.

-At £90 once, £90 twice.

-Get it sold.

-Sold for £90. BA.

Get it done. Well done. Well done.

-Well and truly thrashed.

-I didn't have my penny in my hand.

Oh, dear! I feel so awful for you.

Yeah, poor old David. That's only £50 before commission.

Staying in the art world for just a little longer,

let's see if David Harper can lift his sagging profit margins

with these hunting prints.

Come on, now, babies. Six of them.

At £20. At 20, at 20, at 20, at 20, at 20, at 30.

At £30. Any advance on 30?

-At £30, at £30, at £30, at 30, at 30, at 30...

-Come on.

-..at 30.

At £30, at £30 it is.

So, just to summarise, we're at 30.

At 30, at £30, at 30, at 30, at 40.

-40. Come on. I paid 45. Come on.

-At 40, at 40.

-£40 once, £40 twice.

-No...

-All finished?

-At 40. Mr E.

-Oh! £5 loss.

And don't forget the commission.

David Barby's pottery figures now,

which, I'm afraid, are still proving to be something of a mystery.

I'm getting rather anxious about these.

I don't know what they're for, David.

I just bought them because they were Churchill.

We've had quite a lot of interest in these articles on the internet,

so who's going to give me £200?

-What?

-Start me at £100. £100 bid.

At £100. 120, 140.

140. 160. 160, 180.

-Come on, come on.

-At £180. At £200.

Oh, my! Whatever they are, I love them.

-At £220.

-No.

-At £240.

-I see a smile.

-Not from me.

-At £240. That's once.

At £240. Are you all finished and done? At £240.

-GAVEL BANGS

-And that's why they call David Barby "The Master". Bravo!

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to applaud there. Well done.

Well, there you go.

Clearly, Barby's in the lead

but David Harper's hoping his ship's lantern

will finally get the bidders excited.

-Come on, boys.

-At £30 bid, at £30, at 40, at 40, at 40, at 40.

-At £40.

-I need so much more.

-I can't go up to 50 if I can't get no bids.

-Nobody wants the thing.

-He's trying hard.

-He's very good.

At 50, at 50. At 60! A-ha!

New blood! At 60, at 60, at 70.

-At £70 behind you, sir. At £70, at £70.

-You're doing well.

-At £70 it is once.

-Your day is here.

-At £70 it is twice.

-All finished at £70. Mr E.

-I'm delighted with that.

And so you should be, old boy. That's £40 profit before commission.

Mind you, it's a drop in the ocean compared to you know who

and it's time for his final lot, the 19th-century stick stand.

-Get your penny out.

-I have.

At 30. £30 bid. At 30, at 30, at 30. At 40, at 40, at £40.

-Who's going to give me 50?

-Nobody.

-At 40, at 40, at 40.

-At £40. I can't get more.

-Sell it, sell it.

-At £40 twice.

-Sell it, sell it.

-All finished, all done? At £40. And the code is Mr E.

-Gone. £40.

-Well!

-Well done, Barby.

Drinks on you, I think, although for some reason, the man's frowning.

-What are you moaning about?

-I only made £20 on that.

-I thought you paid 40 for it.

-20.

Just to get you worked up.

David Harper started this leg with £200

and after commission, made a rather modest profit of £6.80,

which means he ends the first leg with £206.80.

David Barby also started with £200

but after making an exceptional £217.10 at auction,

he now has £417.10 in the coffers and is very much in first place.

But, hey, we've only just begun.

I was well and truly, utterly, hammered, thrashed, killed,

drowned, whatever you want to call it.

Come on, Harper, pull yourself together.

There's still four legs to go.

Right, hold on. You are going for a spin.

-Do be careful.

-HE LAUGHS MANICALLY

Aargh!